Earlier today, a new Amtrak study on the 3C Corridor “Quick Start” Passenger Rail project was released with several new figures, most impressively a researched estimate of 478,000 annual passengers riding between Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland.
The study was conducted over the past nine months and will be used as part of Ohio’s federal stimulus funding application that will be filed on October 2nd.
The ridership estimates are based on conditions of passenger rail service as if it were operating today. Studies show that ridership would grow to nearly 600,000 annual passengers after five years of continuous non-upgraded service. The findings by Amtrak would mean that the “3C Quick Start” line would be the 12th largest generator of passenger rail traffic in the country.
The study also places the current total cost estimates of the 3C project at $342.6 million, which includes infrastructure, track and signal upgrades as well as maintenance facilities. The annual revenue from ticket sales is projected to be over $12 million per year based on the 2009 ridership estimates, and would grow as ridership increases.
More information about the Amtrak study can be found here on ODOT’s website.
This evening, ODOT and the Ohio Rail Development Commission held an open house public meeting at the King Arts Complex to provide more information on the project, as well as answer questions and concerns. Several of the most informative slides from the powerpoint presentation are below, and the entire presentation can be viewed here (PDF).
